Monday, May 26, 2008

The Countdown

I finished reading "The Dorm Room Diet" yesterday. I guess the fact that I knew I would need to read it quickly was inspiration. As expected, it is pretty much the same as "You: On a Diet" which is written by the author's father. I read the "You" book over a much longer period last fall. But, as a motivating tool, I think reading the new book helped. It put me back on focus, and I actually had a good week last week, meaning I managed to suck in an average of 1584 calories and went to the gym 3 times. I put the time into planning this week as I had done "back in the day". (I will have one party and another "pizza meeting" this week, but I feel more resolved to overcome these roadblocks than I had before reading the book.There are only two new behavioral changes I would like to try based on this book. The first is to drink a glass of water before every meal. I drink a 20 oz bottle of water every day before breakfast, but I do not drink much water throughout the rest of the day. It turns out that drinking before every meal is a challenge. I am very impatient with my meals. Once I have decided to eat, and taken the time to prepare my food, there is not much that will distract me from beginning to shovel it into my face. (I usually manage to hit the mouth, but the stains on my shirts are testament to my aim.) But, I have only just begun this tactic, so I will continue.The other habit I am hoping to adopt is to count to my age before consuming an unplanned treat. This has proved very very challenging. My count goes something like this: eye a muffin that is sitting in the fridge and frankly taking up too much space, and begin. One, two, fridge door still open; three, four, grab the muffin; five, six, take off the wrapper; shebin, chomp chomp, swallow, eight...I have actually continued counting after this. So, I will have to work on this one too. The idea for both of these, of course, is that you are taking the time to truly decide if the need for your food is based on hunger, or if it is because you can't fit the groceries you just bought into the fridge.